Steady rest for veneer lathes



Sept. 23, 1930.. E. H. MERRITT STEADY REST FOR VENEER Luals Filed Sept. 30, 1927 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 pm A TTORNEYS.

Sept. 23, 1930.

E. H. MERRITT swampy REST F011 vmmsn LA'n ils Filed Sept. 30, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE naressoiv H. MERRITT, or LQCKPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T MERR-ITT ENGINEER- me & sALEs COMPANY, me, or LOCKPOBT, new YORK, A CORPORATION or new YORK STEADY REST FOR VENEER'LATI-IES Application filed September 30, 1927. Serial No. 222,984.

' This invention relates to improvements in lathes, and, while it may befemployed to advantage in numerous connections, it is particularly adapted for use in Connection with lathes in which the material worked upon varies in length, as, for example, in veneer lathes such as those sliown in Letters Patent to Louis G. Merritt, No. 699,5&7, issued May 6, 1902, and in Letters Patent to Ericsson H. Merritt, N0. 1,617A09, issued February 15, 1927.

It is a general object of the invention to improve and simplify the operation of such machines as regards the engagement, retenl no tion and release of the material being worked upon. A more specific object of the invention is that of providing means for readily moving the spindle-supporting members of such machines into or out of operative position to engage, steady or release the material, as aforesaid. 1

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear herein: after.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the applicati on of which will be indicated in the claims. For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description. taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which 2 Figure 1 is a perspective view of one end of a veneer-cutting machine showing the improvedconstruction and the general assembly of the machine Fig. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal sectional viewof the same;

Fig. 3 is anenlarged detailed sectional view taken between the arrows 33 in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken in the direction of the arrows 4-4 in Fig. 3. i

In the exemplification shown in the drawings, the numeral indicates the bed of a lathe, on the upper face of which are positioned longitudinal slideways 11 and 12. Slid-' ably mounted on saidslideways is a steady rest member 13, which is adapted to be released for movement on the slideways and secured in position with respect to the bed of the machine by means of the bolts 14- and the wedge 15'which cooperates with an inclined face of the slideway 12. i V

. Although veneer-cutting machinesare usually constructed with power drive mechanisms at both ends, for convenience only one end of a veneer-cutting machine has been shown in the drawings, it being understood shown comprises a driving gear16, which, when the machine is. in cutting operation, rotates a spindle 17, which is held in suitable bearings 18 and 19, by means of a. sleeve 20 and a key 21 cooperating with a groove 22 in the spindle 17.

Since the material to be worked on by the that the machine may be of any desired struc- 'ture at the other end. The drive mechanism machine may vary considerably in length, it 1 is desirable, as shown by the Merritt patents aforesaid, to provide means for moving the spindle inwardly and outwardly longitudinally ofzthe lathe, and in the present embodiment this movement is accomplished by means of the screw threads 23 on the spindle 17 and acooperating nut 24, which is turned when desired by means of a' wheel 25. In the present embodiment the wheel 25 is shown driven by a motor 26', although other suitable construction may be used, it being under- I stood that when the spindle 17. is being driven by the gear 16 the wheel 25 and its driving means are idled.

Heretofore, in order to steady the chucking end of the spindle, particularl when in extended position, and thus to a low a spindle of smaller diameter to beused, sliding steady rests have been provided which, though similar in construction to the steadyrest 13 ,to'.

the extent that the spindle passed therethrough and the steady rest was slidable along the lathe bed, were, nevertheless, moved longitudinally' of the lathe bed by hand. To ob viate this'diificulty, the present invention pro-' vides a connection between the spindle and the steady rest whereby the steady rest may be moved automatically along the longitudinal axis of the lathe when the spindle is advanced or retracted. By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that a particularly simple and efficient means for accomplishing this purpose has been provided, in that the spindle 17 is provided with a channel 27, in which is seated a bearing 28 carried by the steady rest 13. For convenience in assembly, this hearing 28 is split as at 29, and at one end is closed by a plate 30, which is connected to one face of the bearing by bolts 31. 17is free to rotate in the bearing 28, nevertheless, endwise movement of the spindle 17 with respect to the bearing 28 and the steady rest 13 is prevented. As a result, when the steady rest 18 is uuclamped from the slideways 12 and the spindle 17 is advanced or retracted, the steady rest 13 simultaneously will be moved longitudinally of the lathe bed and may be again clamped fixedly in position by the bolts 1 1.

The spindle 17 is also provided with a chuck-member 32 adapted to engage the material being. worked upon, and in the exemplication shown, the veneer-cutting machine is provided with cutting elements 83 extending longitudinally of the bed of the machine and being adapted to be moved inwardly 111 the usual manner as the cutting progresses Another feature of the present invention is shown particularly in Fig. 4 of the drawings, wherein the face of the steady rest 13 toward which the cutting members 33 ap- Therefore, although the spindle moving said steady rest along the slideways when the spindle is moved longitudinally thereof in either direction; said steady rest being formed with a cut-away face on the side toward said knife whereby the latter may be moved closely adjacent to said spindle.

2. In a lathe, in combination, a lathe bed, a spindle mounted above said bed and axially adjustable for chucking and rotatable for driving, a steady rest movably positioned on the lathe bed, a connection between said spindle and said steady rest whereby the steady rest is moved by the spindle longitudinally of the axis of the lathe asthe spindle is adjusted axially, a split bearing in the steady rest which coacts with the channel in the spindle to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the spindle and the steady rest, and a veneer-cutting knife movable axially toward said spindle; said steady rest having a flattened face on the side toward said knife whereby the latter may be moved closely adjacent to said spindle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ERIGS SON H. MERRITT.

)roach is cut awa 1 as at 34 thus allowin of s 7 D a substantially complete utilization of the log being turned, since the cutting members may approach quite near to the axis of the lathe without contacting with the steady rest.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction, and different embodiments of theinvention could be made, with- I out departing from the scope thereof, it is inv 1 tended that all'matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the,

generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween. I

Having described my invention, what I respect to said bed, a steady rest slidably positioned on the slideways, a spindle mounted above said bed, means for moving the spindle longitudinally of saidbed, a veneer-cutting knife movable axially toward said spindle,

and means associated with said spindle for 

